Diamond Flight Academy

[Beltstrappedin]

Anyone any recent feedback on this place? Is it easier or not as good than a UK course?

Its all Garmin 1000, whats best way to learn the G1000? Any good websites?

Thanks.

[RedBullGaveMeWings]

There should be a G1000 simulator on Garmin's website but I don't know if it is payware.

[Martin_123]

the feedback is still excellent, I know a guy who just finished the course, very happy with everything. They really seem to do a good package, no hidden fees. He got to fly a lot to nearby countries too. The only downside is they have a massive waiting list. Last time I called, I was told they no longer take bookings, because they are booked full til January 2018.. They plan to hire another FI which should help the situation. For now, all they were able to do is to put me on a reserve list in case someone drops out.

As to your question is it easier - one would think that the EASA standards are the same, although I have heard some rumors about CPL holders returning from their training in Southern Europe not being able to fly basic IR approach.. I don't think that's what you want?

No one is expected to arrive at the course knowing the G1000, it's not rocket science anyway - your instructor will tell you what you need to know and that will be that..

[THE FLYING MONKEY]

I was hoping to do my training at DFA but it's so hard to get a place and communication with them isn't the easiest. It's a shame as people's experiences seem positive but it looks like I will have to go somewhere else due to lack of availability.

Good luck

[78Whiskey]

Highly recommend the place. Had no G1000 experience going in and wasn't an issue at all - extremely easy piece of kit to learn and get used to. You'll have plenty of hours flying and in the spare seat in the sim to mess around with while the other person is flying. They also give out iPads with a G1000 simulator on them if you need extra help.

Flew to a couple of different destinations and planned to fly to more but cancelled due to weather.

Instructors are brilliant, aircraft is fantastic to fly and accommodation is very good.

Get your name in early as places are booked up till Feb '18 - which is a fairly decent sign that the place is well known and highly recommended within the training industry.

Numerous previous students got jobs recently within a couple of weeks and a few more have upcoming interviews.

EDIT: Out of 15-16 people i have met there, 12 of us so far got jobs - including myself. Finished 5 months ago.

Fantastic place, highly recommend it.

[MaverickPrime]

What is the latest feedback on DFA? Is there still a long waiting list?

Thanks!

[MaverickPrime]

Anybody? It’s funny that it’s so hard to get feedback on a supposedly very busy school.....

[lric44]

Hi MaverickPrime. I finished my training at DFA some month ago. I am very happy with the training : we finished on time despite bad weather and the training syllabus is really great. I highly recommend as well :)

I do not know how many people are on the waiting list at the moment. The school is very popular. Courses are probably full up to june or july but if you really consider the school do not hesitate to contact the school and ask to be put on the waiting list for any start dates as the list moves a lot... I was myself on the waiting list as well as others students.

[MaverickPrime]

Thanks for the info! I rang today and they will forward me an application form. They seem to be very busy from what they were saying, it could be difficult securing a place at the school, but I think that is a good sign!

[THE FLYING MONKEY]

I’m starting in Feb, after waiting quite a while.

If anybody wants feed back then get in touch in a few months and I’ll let you know.

The only negative so far is that they don’t have any sort of pa or secretary, so it can be really hard to get hold of the head of training and it can take ages for him to get back to you, which almost made me want to go somewhere else if it wasn’t for the recommendation from a few friends.

Good luck

[Sameer Aryan]

Hi Maverick,

I recently finished my training with DFAS. And I highly recommend you this place. I know the waiting time can be frustrating but believe me its worth it.

It is actually one of the best training schools available in Europe. All the instructors are very friendly, very professional and easily approachable. You can ask the same thing again n again if you dont understand and they will explain you as many times without any hesitation. They are very experienced and they know how to teach students but above that they are good people to learn from.

The accommodation is very beautiful and pleasant. and DA42 aircrafts are new and well maintained.

Also many schools dont care once you finished your training with them. But this people believe in maintaining relations with each n every student, which I am really happy about. After you leave if you have any problems with your licensing authorities (which normally is the case in UK and France) they will sort every thing out for you guys so that you can get your license asap.

Honestly you havent made any wrong choice by choosing them. So dont worry about the wait. Go for your training with peace of mind and best of luck for your training and have a good time in kalmar.

Hope that answer your query!

[MaverickPrime]

Thanks for the info! :ok:

[LIFFY4E]

Does anyone know the current wait times on the CPL/ME-IR in DFAS?

I am looking to put a deposit on a course in either Jan/Feb 2019 but am having quite some difficulty making contact with the school via phone and email - it's a pity as I have heard great reviews from friends currently working in airlines not long after training with them.

[Airgus]

Plenty of schools are filling up their slots and becoming very busy... not only DFA.

Almost everyone finishing this year from different schools is getting a job in airlines, I would rather move forward than wait 12 month to start the course.
Aviation is on the good cycle this year. Who knows what will happen in 2019/2020.

Regarding the school I heard good comments too.
Regarding the DA42 is a great aircraft to fly and super easy to learn.

G1000 is a great tool and easy to use, however you need to invest time in order to know every single details/function in order to be ahead of the game. Once you know everything it is super easy.
Suggestions, get iPad applications/simulators, read the G1000 manual and also if you fly a lot while building hours, try the Garmin Pilot application for iPad which it would start showing you the Garmin concept/way so you get more familiar with "their language".

Flying any aircraft with G430/530 or even G5 plus iPad Garmin Pilot will be a good way to practice. Learn every knob, function and button, the G1000 is similar concept.

[Dariuspilot]

Hey 78Whiskey how long did you wait on the wait list for start the courses ? I contact the director he told me that he will send me an application form at the end of the day 4 days ago and still nothing ..
Someone can help me please ?

[krisss]

I had a hard time contacting DFA, but once I did they were very helpful. I believe the next available course start is this summer in July.

[Dariuspilot]

Thank you for your answer ! The owner told me July also, so I'm just waiting the application form now !

[edognutti]

best place where u can traing for CPL and IR.
The sim is the same as the aircraft, 3 DA42 always well mantained and super equipped. Briefing room in the same building of your accomodation 500 mt from the airport and the owner is super honest and correct. Highly reccomended!!!

[Amidoo]

How long did it take you guys to get a hold of them ? I've sent an e-mail about a month and half ago and another one two weeks ago but still nothing, no luck via phone either.

[Sameer Aryan]

How long did it take you guys to get a hold of them ? I've sent an e-mail about a month and half ago and another one two weeks ago but still nothing, no luck via phone either.


Hey Guys,

I am an ex-student of DFAS. And I am still in touch with the school. Any of you guys who cant get hold of admin at DFAS, pls send me your full name and email address. I will request them to reply your queries. You can PM me your details. Hope may be that will help to expedite.

Regards

[AMcCutch972]

Hi guys,

I finished my course with DFAS early 2018. I got a job with an airline 1 month after receiving my licenses (more of that later on btw). There were up's and down's but overall I was pleased with my stay in Kalmar and saved a considerable amount of time and money compared to other schools. To top it off your also flying a proper modern MEP with glass cockpit, similar to most of the instrumentation you will find in modern cockpits today.

DFAS philosophy is that everyone leaves flight schools with the same CPL IR/ME so their aim is to get you in and out of there as fast as possible. The course is only 2 months long (depending of course on weather). The school currently has 3 DA-42 g1000 and provides an excellent top of the line Diamond FNPTII simulator which is very nice. The method of operations is quite clever since DFAS courses only take in 4-5 persons per month so at most there is only 10 people at the school at one time, requiring fewer personnel and instructors and guarantees that at least two planes are operational at any time which of course saves costs and hense why the prices are so attractive (you cruise at 50% power btw). This is why you guys are seeing such a "busy" waiting list because well with 4-5 persons a slot per month, obviously they fill up fast.

Accommodations is nice, the school actually used to be a Hotel before it eventually went bankrupt and was replaced with the flight school. It's literally 5' away from ESMQ. Believe it or not the school has its own spa with jacuzzi, hammam, massage chairs...and is available to pilots once a week. The 402 bus takes you into town pretty quickly for groceries or hitting up the pub.

As far as instruction goes, well you learn to fly on the g1000 and become familiar with it however don't expect to fly straight out of flight school a Baron 58's with analogue/classic instrumentation in IMC. The DA-42 is a very easy airplane to fly, plus with the fadec, you just apply a percentage of power and voila, no fiddling with 3 levers...) You get an Ipad from the start with all of the required documentation + supplementary documentation to keep you busy and a cool g1000 sim app that actually works very well and can be quite handy. The instructors are good and knowledgeable however I personally felt that the school lacked "ground" schooling. In reality the briefs are generally only an hour long, you go to sim or fly and then realize that you have a considerable amount of free time. Make use of it, and that requires a lot of personal investment. I got to fly around Sweden and one flight to Germany (where the maintenance is). The CPL is well...just a formality.

NOTE: If you have a French CA license, get it converted BEFORE entering the course. I know one guy who had to re-take his IR skills test because the french authorities did not approve the way the examiner conducted the test. Another french dude they denied both CPL and IR/ME so that was a massive pain in the ass for both of them. However I was told that the school acted accordingly and the problem was eventually resolved. Both guys are airline pilots today btw. The reason why the french ca denied the test is still unclear, I think it had to do with the "en-route" portion of the test however it's nice to know that the french ca are on top of things as they have been accepting the same tests for 10 years or so and just now discovered issues...bureaucracy.

In conclusion is DFAS right for you? It all depends on timing, luck, and what type of job your looking for.

Ever since jobs starting opening up again, my strategy was to finish school as quickly as possible in order to be available on the market asap as no one can predict how long good times last. I got to fly DA-42's and complete school in 2 months without wearing an annoying uniform all the time, I paid considerably less than what others have paid and today I have a job so I guess it worked.

Could I have received better training elsewhere? Yeah possibly, but then again once you enter line operation and depending of category of your A/C its a whole new ball park with a whole set of rules so you'll end up forgetting your basic training anyway.

My point is at this present time we all receive the same CPL IR/ME regardless where you went or training you had and going to a specific flight school does not mean necessarily that you have a job in the long run (even if your school has partnerships). In addition weather is bad in Kalmar during the winter so all of my IR flights were in IMC and freezing conditions which is good for XP, Sweden is an awesome country and the school has a spa, how cool is that? You decide.

[jaydotbe]

@AMcCutch972
Just want to say thank you for providing such a detailed response! Did you get to visit them before you went? I know flights out there are minimal in the long run but its a shame its around £200!

[miguel22]

Hello all,

Anyone knows what are the criteria applied by them to choose the persons for each course? According to them, they told me that they choose 5 students for each course so I believe they should have some selection criteria no...?

Thanks!

[LaGuardia]

Hi guys.

Anyone know when is the next date available for DFAS please ?

Thanks

[miguel22]

Hi guys.

Anyone know when is the next date available for DFAS please ?

Thanks

I believe they are full until Q2 2019. 5-6 months before each course they chose 5 students per course. You need to provide few informations and fill up a form.

You should enter in contact with them for more information, they are quite responsive.

Good luck!

[r10bbr]

I believe they are full until Q2 2019. 5-6 months before each course they chose 5 students per course. You need to provide few informations and fill up a form.

You should enter in contact with them for more information, they are quite responsive.

Good luck!


have you tried not looking into Bartolini, in Poland, i know they're booked out but theres always cancellations places available if you enquire beginning of the month, im also in a similar situation torn between going either Poland or Diamond, but theres not much review posted of recent candidates whom have passed and progressed which does not worry me but would reassure me and would give me chance to ask questions about the place and how good the general training is and the time frame of once finishing getting an airline job etc...

also in brief the cost of Diamond i was quoted £26,000 whereas Bartolini was £18,000, the difference in cost could go towards a MCC with APS/APC at Virtual Aviation, is another factor to consider...

[jaydotbe]

Hey Guys,

I am an ex-student of DFAS. And I am still in touch with the school. Any of you guys who cant get hold of admin at DFAS, pls send me your full name and email address. I will request them to reply your queries. You can PM me your details. Hope may be that will help to expedite.

Regards

Hi! Are you still able to do this?

[Banana Joe]

This is tragic advice. You get what you pay for. I have heard nothing but bad things about Bart. For the very fact Diamond can be so selective tells you all you need to know.
What are these bad things? Trained in that place for almost two years and all went flawlessly.

[itchybumba]

What are these bad things? Trained in that place for almost two years and all went flawlessly.

I also trained there in 2017 and dont really have a bad thing to say about my experience. As someone above mentioned you do get what you pay for and in Poland 18k euros pays for all the hours you need on brand spanking new Technams, decent instructors and tests.

Out of the class i was in 6 out of the 7 of us are in the right hand seats of airliners now so you can either listen to hearsay or look at facts like that.

I am not saying its better than Diamond - i know 1 person who went there and they sing its praises- they are currently occupying the right seat for a business jet operator in the UK so clearly it turns out decent results to.

[Nurse2Pilot]

This is tragic advice. You get what you pay for. I have heard nothing but bad things about Bart. For the very fact Diamond can be so selective tells you all you need to know.I would really like to see where you've "heard" about bad things regarding Bartolini?

[MaverickPrime]

The waiting list for Bartolini is 1 year +, not much more to say really.

I hear the sim instructor can be a bit cheeky, but sure it'll help you develop your CRM skills.

[Nurse2Pilot]

The waiting list would not be a "bad" thing, I would think! Quite the opposite!

[MaverickPrime]

The waiting list would not be a "bad" thing, I would think! Quite the opposite!

N2P, that’s what I was alluding to. The waiting list is a major indicator of how good the school is.

[scottish_aviator]

Can anyone explain the pretty big difference in course times for Diamond vs Bartolini? Diamond quote 2 months for CPL ME IR whereas Bartolini recommend 12 weeks. As I'll have to take unpaid leave it's an important factor in choosing between the two (also difficult to get such a long stint off work).

At what point do Diamond require you to have the course prerequisites? With an approx 6 month wait time I don't want to wait until having the hours and ATPLs passed before starting the enrolment process. If I can get my name on the list now for say September, I'll have the hours and exams sorted by around July.

[Banana Joe]

In Bartolini, it can be done in as little as 6 weeks but that would be an exceptional case. 2 from my course did it as they were smart enough to book the simulator in advance and weather was VMC for most of their time. Many variables come into play like unforeseen maintenance required and weather. I would account for 3 months.